The Best Candied Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe (2024)

Thanksgiving dinner could never be complete without this holiday classic side dish, the best candied sweet potato casserole recipe.

My easy sweet potato casserole recipe features a luscious sweet potato mixture that bakes up golden brown on top with a brown sugar streusel that’s simply too decadent to be true.

Made With Fresh Sweet Potatoes

The recipe is made with fresh sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked to perfection. And it only requires a few simple ingredients.

Whether it’s the holiday season or for any of your favorite special occasions, this easy recipe is one that fills your house with a warm and inviting aroma.

And it fills your belly with plenty of love too!

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole Is the Perfect Holiday Side Dish

To put it another way, if I don’t put this candied sweet potato casserole on my Thanksgiving table, I’m going to get an earful from family.

We usually have a full house for the holidays, and Thanksgiving is no exception.

I honestly can’t even imagine skipping this recipe. It would never cross my mind.

For starters, it’s an easy sweet potato casserole recipe. You’ll have it ready to go in no time and can either get busy on something else or enjoy spending time with your guests.

Another thing is that it’s just so good. That brown sugar mixture really gives it that extra special something. I promise you won’t miss those mini marshmallows (I never thought I’d say that).

Ingredients For Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

• Fresh sweet potatoes
• Melted butter
• Maple syrup
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Brown sugar
• Chopped pecans

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

How To Make The Candied Sweet Potato Recipe

1. Peel and slice your potatoes into 1/4-inch slices.
2. Line the sweet potatoes into the baking dish.
3. Pour the melted butter over the sweet potatoes.
4. Next, pour the maple syrup over the sweet potatoes.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
6. After the sweet potatoes cook for 30 minutes, grab a small bowl and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pecans and mix.
7. Carefully remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and take off the aluminum foil.
8. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes and return it to the oven, uncovered, to bake for another 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Grab your prepared baking dish or your casserole dish, and let’s get started baking up this glorious southern sweet potato casserole for your family!

Start by peeling the sweet potatoes. Peel until you see that orange flesh.

Line the sweet potatoes in a greased baking dish.

For this recipe, I used an 11-inch by 7-inch baking dish. I used nonstick cooking spray to grease the baking dish.

The sweet potatoes are about 1/4-inch thick and were cut on my mandolin. If you are cutting the sweet potatoes by hand, try to cut the pieces evenly so they will cook evenly.

Melt the butter and pour it over the sweet potatoes.

Pour the maple syrup over the sweet potatoes.

The maple syrup is going to give the sweet potatoes a deep flavor.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Brown Sugar Pecan Topping

After the potatoes have cooked for 30 minutes, add some brown sugar to a bowl.

Add the chopped pecans to the bowl.

Next, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to the bowl and mix the ingredients.

Carefully remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and remove the aluminum foil.

Sprinkle the brown sugar and pecan topping over the top of the sweet potatoes.

Add the baking dish back to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.

Once the potatoes cook and are tender, they are ready to serve.

Knock Their Socks Off with the Best Candied Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Your holiday meal just got even better with the addition of this perfect side dish.

To make it, you’ll need sweet potatoes, butter, and maple syrup for the sweet potato mixture.

The topping for those tender sweet potatoes is made with brown sugar, chopped pecans, and some of those spice rack staples – cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger. But, you can add other seasonings if you’d like to.

Alternatively, if you’re missing any of those spices, you can always use a teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice instead to complete the spectrum of flavors.

Everyone will be happy to see this classic Thanksgiving side dish on the table.

I’ve always found that cranberry sauce is the perfect complement to anything with sweet potatoes, and this recipe is no exception!

How To Store The Candied Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Store the delicious side dish in an airtight container or cover with some plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.

More Delicious Holiday Recipes

• Pecan pie recipe without corn syrup (with maple syrup)
• Easy maple walnut fudge
• Easy pumpkin spice bread with maple cream icing
• The best mashed potatoes
• Easy homemade dinner rolls
• Easy spinach dip Christmas tree appetizer
• Chocolate pecan pie bars
• Jiffy corn pudding
• Braided lattice apple pie from Ahead of Thyme

If you make this candied sweet potato casserole recipe, it’s going to be a huge hit. You don’t have to wait for the holidays or special occasions to come up either. Who says you can’t enjoy those sweet holiday season flavors any time of year?

Check out the recipe card below to get the full details on how to make this easy sweet potato casserole!

The classic dish is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving feast.